


Trick 'r Treat

by AL23



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Life Is Strange 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, Bullying, Cannibalism, Crossover, Cyberbullying, Dark Magic, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff and Angst, Halloween, Horror, Lovecraftian, M/M, Paganism, Racism, Small Town Mystery, Suicidal Thoughts, Supernatural Elements, Telekinesis, Thriller, Werewolf, Wicca, Witchcraft, alternative universe, witch chris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:00:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27144187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AL23/pseuds/AL23
Summary: In the cold and foggy autumn of Beaver Creek, the unexplainable fires started, mysteriously connected to weird crimes around town; and Sean Diaz ends up in the eye of the storm without realizing it. As he is forced to deal with the feelings of guilty and tragedy hidden deep inside his mind, it's the worst moment possible of his life.Caught in a fiery fight with his youngest brother and feeling his love just increase for the free spirited hippie known as Finn, Sean doesn't realize he's caught in a game way darker than what he realized.
Relationships: Daniel Diaz & Finn (Life is Strange 2), Daniel Diaz & Sean Diaz, Daniel Diaz/Chris Eriksen, Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Sean Diaz, Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Sean Diaz & Original Character(s), Sean Diaz/Finn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 00 : Welcome to Beaver Creek.

**Chapter 00 : Welcome to Beaver Creek.**

  
_Founded in 1974, surrounded by deep forests and foggy valleys, Beaver Creek is a calm and pacific city, at least on its postcard. Surrounded by a weird beauty, the city shines brightest during summer with its large camps of apple trees. During harvest time, autumn paints the city orange and of course it brings the thunderstorms. There's something unusual around this time, unexplainable fires all around._  
_The spooky landscapes of the forest shine brightest during the autumn. Lakes and waterfalls hide deep in the forest and if you're lucky, you can meet a hippie group led by Finn McNamara, but if you're unlucky, you can stumble upon a group of murderers._

_Let Beaver Creek put its spell on you with its polite people and calm neighbourhoods. Wonderful landscapes and ample nature._

  
Another great day in Beaver Creek!

  
**Chapters and release date**

  
Chapter 1 - The man in the window ✅

  
Chapter 2 - The thing in the woods ✅

  
Chapter 3 - Nocturnal Animals ✅

  
Chapter 4 - The trouble with Karen (12/15)

  
Chapter 5 - Pirate's Song (???)

  
Chapter 6 - Arcadia Bay (???)

  
Chapter 7 - We need to talk about the Diaz brothers (???)

  
Chapter 8 - The lambs scream(???)

  
Chapter 9 - Trick or Treat (???)

  
Chapter 10 - Candies and Blood (??)

  
Chapter 11 - The thing that lives down there (??) 

  
Chapter 12 - Distorted reality (??)

  
Chapter 13 - Max and Sean's sacrifice (??)

Disclaimer: Titles and days can be changed, especially the ones that aren't decided yet.  
I'll edit the days everytime I'm sure about it and maybe I'll change some titles too.


	2. 1 - The man in the window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious fires surround the city of Beaver Creek. A religious madman attacks the cafe where Sean works..

**Chapter 1 -**   
**The man in the window**

_Once upon a time_

_In the golden years of the city known as Beaver Creek, between the jazz that you could hear being played loudly in the streets and the agitated night life, there was her, the woman in the long pink dress. The moon being reflected in her deep lifeless eyes, she walked to a filled bar. The music was attacking her eardrums, but didn't stopped her from dancing among the strangers. Her skin was impeccable and her head had a curious heart shape. Lips as red as blood._

  
_"What is a dame doing here all alone?", a gentleman would ask, he had beautiful blue eyes and was coming close to her; took her hand and kissed it gently._

  
_"Looking for someone to love"_

  
_It was love at first sight. They left the bar and made their love vows in a bridge near the woods. Romantic to the lady's eyes and perfect to the gentleman's eyes._

  
_"Could I know your name?"_

  
_The lady asked while they walked, holding hands, towards the woods. It was Halloween night; he shut her mouth with a kiss and whispered that she should close her eyes._

  
_"I have a little surprise for you, keep your eyes closed and don't dare to look!"_

  
_Being taken by the expectations and the excitation, she was already hoping to be asked for marriage. Her heart seemed to be dancing in her chest and she couldn't be controlling any more unwanted reactions... until she felt the axe slipping through her neck. She screamed and fell down. The gentleman didn't stop until he held her head in his hands._

  
_Poor Dahlia was found the next day, the headless body sitting in a short log. The beautiful dress, the shining skin and the stolen head._

\- And that's another story that could have ended well if the victim didn't let herself be taken by love. - Sean Diaz said in a bold tone while he closed the book of tales he was holding. A tree was hitting the bedroom window because of the autumn wind.

  
\- She was so naive. - Lyla Park said, she was blushing and pressing her lips. - Oh, Sean, a tragic love story. - She put her hands around her mouth in an ironic and dramatic way. Her fingernails were painted blue again, he could notice through the webcam. - Why someone never wrote a book about Seattle legends?

  
Sean shrugged. He was still wearing the pajamas since he said to Claire that was feeling stomach ache and couldn't go to school. He knew there was no problem in missing school, by that point he had already got good grades in every class and it's not even like someone would miss him, the Beaver Creek teenagers stuck to their own bubble and they rarely had new classmates.

  
\- Did you sleep well today? - Sean asked her. Since Lyla's anxiety crisis last week, things were becoming uncomfortable. He knew it was because of the distance and, if school was already bad enough for him, he couldn't imagine how it was for her. - No one said you eat dog again, right? - Another thing that got them along in the beginning was because they had to hear xenophobic bullshit.

  
\- No. I just had two insomniac crisis, but it's alright now.

  
\- I know it's not, I can feel in your eyes.

  
A sound echoed by his side in the bed. It was his phone, two new messages from his work supervisor. Susan O'Connor was a woman hard to deal with, and she was a little xenophobic and always looked for reasons to put him in trouble. Sean hated every second of work when she was around, and avoided all he could to get her attention.  
Lyla was nodding, biting her lower lip.

  
\- I am just missing you all. - She looked at her nails. She was feeling ashamed of how weak she looked now. - I just feel so lonely now, and I feel really bad after your father's death.

  
\- It wasn't your fault, or mine. We simply can't prevent some things we know will happen. - Sean sighed then, looking to his window. He was able to overcome the accident that killed his father after a lot of therapy sessions and finally stopped blaming himself. - I need to go now. Helen will kill me if I'm late any second.

  
Lyla kind of smiled.

  
\- She just wants a reason to fire you. Better hurry. - She waved and sent a kiss. - Bye bye.

  
\- See you later. - Sean turned off his notebook and left it at his bed. Got up quickly and put black pants over the shorts that he uses to sleep and then put on his large red raincoat. He left his room and went to the bathroom to wash his face. The house was quiet. Claire was probably in some friend's house or went to the cemetery to visit Stephen's grave. The little train he made was in the same place as always, untouched. Everything turned a little colder without him, but at least Claire adopted more goldfishes. He died two years ago when a large wardrobe fell on him and fractured his chest. Stephen died in the hospital, leaving his loved wife behind. The cold water sent shivers down Sean's body, and he stopped a little to look at himself in the mirror, analysing what was happening in his life now. He didn't had many time to spare so he quickly went to grab his backpack and pretended to comb his long hair. Out there it was cloudy, so he knew it was good idea to wear his raincoat again.

  
In the garden, Sean took his black bicycle, a Claire's gift to go to school and work when she couldn't take him. The cold wind was blowing his hair off the face as he pedaled through the desert streets of that calm neighbourhood. A orange light caught his attention and he stopped in the parking lot to see what was happening.  
Another forest fire. The fire seemed worse this time and the black smoke was unbearable. Ashes were already flying around.  
Unexplainable fires since last week. Something spooky was in the air, alright.

🎃

\- Holy shit! - Officer Allan Montgomery exclaimed after coughing for a long time. He didn't know if those are the effects of the cigars he smoked compulsively before being called to that emergency, or if it was the strong smoke of the remains of that fire there. He was a tall man, long white hair and he smelled like cigarettes and coffee. - It's the third one this week. What the fuck is happening here?

  
\- Sir. - A fireman was holding a yellow folder. The fire was already out, the only thing that remained was the destruction made by it. Long grey logs were still standing somehow. Grass seemed like burned plastic now and the ground was still pretty hot. - This time of the year, wildfires are really rare. If the vegetation's dry, then the fire spreads quickly. We have to consider that when the umidity of the ground goes lower than 30%, then the plants can't get their water from the ground...

  
\- You forgot about an important detail. - Allan interrupted him. - Yesterday's storm lasted the entire day, do you really want to tell me that this ground was so dry?

  
\- But we also didn't find any residual substances or really anything that proves it was arson.

  
\- 60% of the fires in this fucking country are arsons, mostly some thugs looking for insurance money or something, and now you want to tell this one happened magically?  
\- Every ambient destroyed by a fire tells a story. The new colours of the ground tells us about its intensity. This one was strong and it just could've been caused by an extremely dry soil. The experts don't see anything here, no story to tell.

  
Before Allan could answer in an ironical way, a younger fireman approached them, shaking a lot.

  
\- You need to see this. - The man guided them through what remained of the forest. The ashes were scattered through the ground almost like snow. They didn't stop until they reached the middle point of the forest. A tree was still standing with its log untouched. It was weird enough that it wasn't consumed by the fire, but the thing just seemed to get weirder and weirder. - Could Satanists be the ones to blame?

  
Carved in the log there was a huge, weird symbol. A circle inside another circle. Runes, eyes and more symbols none of them could identify. Allan touched the circle and noticed there was a lot of effort to make the drawing perfect. Deep cuts.

  
\- Satanists? - He questioned to himself, not believing in the possibility.

  
\- Halloween is coming, maybe it's a way to get attention.

  
\- Maybe. - Allan said. - Maybe.

🎃

\- Thanks, honey, you're a sweet boy. - Sean handed the Mapple Macchiato and the chocolate croissant to Mabel Van Vaughn, the town mayor's sister. A small, redheaded and fancy woman. She was wearing no less than millions of dollars in clothes; each ring in her hands cost at least 2,000. They were precious. Sean always got surprised how she treated the cafeteria staff and he thought that the town needed more Mabels. - I'll still accept your suggestion of cold tea.

  
\- I make the cold tea and the juices. I think you'll like it. - Sean smiled shyly; he was still wearing the red raincoat, it was colder now and Helen let the staff use their normal clothes when it wasn't so crowded. Mabel was right now the only one there.

  
\- I'm sure. - She blinked at him while tasting the Mapple Macchiato. It smelled greatly and also relaxing to Sean, who walked towards the cashier to speak to his workmate, Agatha Webster.

  
It was playing 26 Miles by The Four Preps in a jukebox near the wall decorated with maple and coffee. The ambient is well lighted and fresh. This cafe has a cold atmosphere. White plants in vases were aligned in the other wall. The indigo blue of the ground was another good addition to the cold colours. The huge windows were showing the cafe's name in a minimalist way. **The Birds & The Flowers**.

  
\- Do I look sad to you? - Agatha asked Sean without looking at him. She was looking straight at the ground, with shame burning in her eyes.

  
\- You look ashamed to me. What that skank said to you now?

  
\- She said she would fire me if I didn't smile more.

  
\- Just ignore it, everything she says is pretty void. - Sean crossed his arms and looked to the street. There was really little movement. The clouds were just becoming dark and darker. Sean thought about how that landscape deserved a drawing... later. Sean was pretty excited about drawing after he started colouring in watercolour and added more details to the drawing.

  
\- I can't turn my back for one moment that you just start gossiping! - Helen showed up from the back and spoke in a volume that only both of them would hear. Her hair is black and her skin is really pale, and she was really tall and skinny. She was wearing a vintage dress with neutral colours. - But I didn't expect great things coming from you. - She rolled up her eyes and started to type on her iPhone. - Immigrants.

  
Agatha held Sean's arm subtly. She knew he had a temper when it came to xenophobia and it was a reminder that they needed the jobs.

  
\- We have only one customer today. - Agatha whispered to Sean. - Maybe we'll close earlier today.

  
\- Great, at least I won't have to take more of this racist bullshit.

  
\- She can hear you. - They both took a quick look at Helen, who seemed to be inside a bubble in her own iPhone.

  
\- She can't... - Sean was interrupted by a sudden scream and a loud bang. Mabel jumped into the ground, dropping the Mapple Macchiato. Glass was scattered everywhere through the cafe and the invader didn't stop screaming.

  
A man threw himself against the glass of the cafe. He was completely out of control, screaming senseless things and terrorizing the four of them.

  
\- The Devil is here! THE DEVIL IS HERE! - There was madness in his eyes. There was rage. He was wearing dirty clothes and was blind in one eye, white as milk. His long coat put a scarier appearance on him and the large beard only added to the menacing figure. Agatha held the hands of Sean and Mabel, Helen was dealing 911. Sean's heart was beating so fast that he could pass out any moment, and that madman didn't stop staring at him. The loud bang of a thunder scared them even more; all let a sigh out in unison. Agatha lost her balance and sheltered in the ground, shutting her eyes tightly and praying to any god who could be listening. Sean was freezing in the place, planned to attack him with the glass cups of the counter if he came any closer. Air was heavy between them and the panting wasn't helping him in that situation.

  
_Help_

  
Screamed internally, even though he knew it was useless.

  
\- You are marked! - The invader appointed to Sean. - Marked by the evil! - He took something off his neck, a sort of amulet and walked fast towards Sean, who was not able to react. - You need to protect yourself from the evil! - He put the amulet in his hands. His face was bleeding and there were little glass shatters in his face. - The Devil is here! - He smiled when he put his hands in his pocket and took a gun out. Helen screamed in the middle of a desperate conversation with emergency, Sean still wasn't able to move, all the last years of his life passing through his mind in a distant blur. His father's death, Daniel freaking out, his first time with Finn. - The Devil will kill all of us! - He pointed the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger. His brains painted the walls red, while half of his blood went to Sean's face.

**Midnight with the stars and you**

The song started playing when the ambient seemed all frozen in Sean's mind. The body laying in the ground, that old song playing. The glass shattered through the ground along with blood and also Agatha's hysterical cry.

**Your eyes held a message tender**   
**Saying "I surrender all my love to you"**

The nightmare just ended when the policemen arrived 2 hours later. It was already getting dark. After long questionings and two cups of cold coffee, Sean was still in a shock state, sitting in a cafe's corner. The newspeople were around out there, making the case become a worse horror show than what it already was. The body of the stranger was already taken, but Sean could still catch glimpses of him through the corner of his eye.

  
\- Sean? Sweetie? - Sean wasn't able to answer Finn calling, just looked at the table with shame and guilt. He felt Finn's hot arms around his body moments later. - Holy shit! I heard about what happened, look at me. - Finn pressed his fingers in Sean's chin and raised his head softly. Finn's blue eyes meet Sean's depressed brown eyes.

  
Finn has a red and narrow scar in his nose's tip, his body was filled with tattoos and scars, reflecting how "vagabond" he is. Sean felt shocked, it was the first time he felt fear in his voice. Finn was always good vibes most of the time (and maybe also seemed to be a little too much on MJ's effect; Sean got surprised of how patient he was being, especially with him. Sean had seen some ugly fights involving Finn and he'd rather not think about that now.

  
\- Did that motherfucker hurt you?

  
\- No. - Sean answered after a moment. - I'm fine.

  
\- Your face. - Sean was referring to the dry blood that spilled in his face when that maniac blew his own head off. Sean got away from his embrace and looked at his raincoat.

  
\- Can you take me home?

  
\- Come. - Finn helped him to get up. His body was still shaking as the horror scenes stayed vividly in his mind. - It's over.

  
\- He said the devil marked me.

  
\- You don't care about what I say most of the time and you will care about what he said? That way you'll hurt my feelings, sweetie. - Finn trying speaking softly on the way to his car. It was a cheap car, but what mattered is that it worked well and he finally was able to buy one with the money he received from working on pot farms. Finn put him on the passenger seat and drove carefully because of an intensifying fog.

  
\- He could have killed me. - Sean said lowly. Then he felt Finn touching his hand and he knew everything was all right. The way home stayed quiet, Sean could watch the silhouettes beneath the trees. He was able to see the silhouettes of a few people and he thought about drawing them as aliens. His breathing was calm by now and he could watch the details of the ambient, as he liked to do. Just then he realized he was wearing his seat belt. Something was playing in the radio, some kind of dark wave. The main rearview mirror (the one that stays inside the car) was broken. The glove compartment was open and Sean noticed there was a Beaver Creek map inside it and two Sigmund Freud pocket books.

  
\- Let's go, we are arriving. - Finn said. - I hope granny will let me bath you. - He noticed the situation was still intense here when he didn't had an ashamed answer. Finn parked in the front of Mrs. Reynolds' house and helped Sean get out of the car. Claire gave a copy key to Finn, so as she heard the door opening, she knew who it was.  
\- Oh my god, Sean! - Claire grabbed to him for a hug. - Oh, Sean! I just saw it on the news.

  
Sean didn't answer, but did retribute the hug. All the lights of the house were turned off and he could smell apple pie and coffee.

  
\- You can spend the night if you want to. - Generally, Claire asked them to let the door open, but she didn't know that Finn didn't care if the door was open or closed. - Go take a shower, Sean. I made pie for dinner. Daniel still hasn't returned from the Eriksens.

  
Sean took a last look at Finn and Claire and vanished in the hall. In the bathroom on the second floor, with the shaky hands, he took the stranger's amulet out of the raincoat and looked at it for a little time. It was made of wood and had runes around an eye.

  
_The Evil_

  
Sean put it around his neck and turned the shower on.

_The Devil will kill all of us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shy first chapter I must say, but I didn't really know how to work very well with this universe when I firstly started, but things will get a lot better in chapter two which will be published tonight. Tell me what you thought about it and see you later.


	3. The thing in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean spends time with Finn after his traumatic experience and fights against his unmatched passion. Chris goes through a problematic school day. A stranger visits the Reynolds. Officer Montgomery keep on with his investigations.

**Chapter 2 -**  
**The thing in the woods**

_Once upon a time_

_In was a late afternoon, too hot even for Beaver Creek's autumn, well, at least that was how it seemed to the young Marie Anne. Hungry and lost in the woods, because her curiosity always speaks loudly and she decided to go after a cat. She asked herself how cats lived in the forest, do they hunt fishes in the lakes? Those were the questions that showed up in her child's mind. How she regretted it now._  
_\- Kitten? - She tried to call for him, maybe if she found it, it could lead the way back. Her legs were already hurting because she had to walk so much and the poor little girl had lost one of her red shoes. Everything seemed so dead here and she started to feel that she was being watched._  
_\- What a little girl like you does around here? - A tall man approached. Marie compared his length to a wardrobe. He was holding a long rope and had a huge smile on his face._  
_\- I can't talk to strangers._  
_\- Wise advice. - He stepped back. - But I know who you are, Marianne, you're not really a stranger to me._  
_The little girl shrugged._  
_\- I have something to show you. - He put his rope on the shoulder and started to look for something on his pockets. It was so weird that Marie thought it was funny. - Do you like lollipops, Marie?_  
_Before the girl could even answer, a dark shadow pushed that man, who fell down behind those thick trees. He was screaming in pain while a huge shadow pressed him against the ground and bit his meat. It was something big and had large horns, like a deer. The blood smell was unbearable, but Marie could relate it only to dust and the blood was unnoticed by her eyes._  
_In the shadows, Marie heard a meowing and from amidst the trees, came the cat, licking his own paws stained with blood._

\- He saved her, my man. At least it had a happy ending. - Finn shrugged and brought Sean closer. They were sharing Sean's little bed, which stayed on the corner opposed to the door, so Claire could get in any moment and see the hippie's silly hand slips into Sean's sleeping pants, who was strongly biting his lower lip. Finn pressed his balls tightly, making Sean moan lowly and painfully, the shivering and exciting wave was spreading through his body like fire. - She'll hear you if you keep moaning so loudly. - He whispered to Sean.  
\- I am not... - Sean was interrupted by Finn's finger pressing even more. A spontaneous scream came out and he put his face on the pillow as he felt the hot tongue on his neck.  
\- Sean? - Claire knocked twice on the door. The sudden interruption made Sean jump from bed and roll over on the cold floor. The temperature change made his legs shake a little more. Maybe Claire heard something and came to question?  
His cheeks were already burning in shame and he retreated into his grey shirt of the local fire department, a shirt which he won on a lecture in school about the dangers of fire on dry weathers. Finn held his arm firmly, helping him to get up and disguising a malicious smile, Sean was sure he was just having fun about that ridiculous situation he found himself in. Sean took a deep breath, trying to not start laughing like a madman.  
The room's lights were off, the only illumination coming from the light posts outside. The pale notebook's light also partially illuminated the part where they were together; the screen showed the paused credits of the film Lords of Salem.  
Sean opened the door with a nervous smile and trying to hide his neck.  
\- Hi! Claire, everything's alright?  
\- Yeah, I just wanted to check if you need something. - The lights of the hall invaded the room, showing some of Sean's drawings hanging on the wall. - Is Finn here? - She looked inside the room to try and find him, and then saw his face being illuminated by the pale shine. Finn waved to her. - Oh, I hope everything's fine.  
\- We're fine, don't worry.  
Claire hugged him and kissed his cheek. Sean always thought her smell was peculiar, she smelled like an old lady mixed with honey and camomile. He couldn't very well define what would "old lady smell", but he thought it was connected to his childhood spent in this house, when Stephen and Esteban were still alive.  
\- Good night, grandma.  
\- Good night, honey. - Claire touched his cheeks gently for a moment. For a moment, she was stuck in her own thoughts, looking in his brown eyes she noticed how good she felt that he didn't had a lot of her daughter. - Don't be up until late. You have school tomorrow.  
\- It's okay. - Sean closed the door and took a relieved breath. A slick line of cold sweat was appearing in his forehead.  
\- It's written "cockblocker" in your face, sweetie. - Finn approached him slowly in the darkness, Sean didn't even notice he was coming until he felt his hips being pressed and then joined Finn's warm body again. - I told you she'd hear. - The street lights were illuminating his thirsty blue eyes; it was also emphasizing his three triangles tattoo under the right eye. Sean murmured and tried to look to the window. The streets were so desert, but he still felt eyes out there.  
\- It's your fault, perv sucker. - Before he could notice, their lips were in contact with each other and Finn held him possessively in his arms. Their tongues seemed to dance together in a slow pace that would then be replaced by an aggressive rhythm. Finn practically had all control there, all control over Sean's body and his lips. Sean grabbed his hard penis through the pants, it was like a bomb about to explode. Finn put his hands on Sean's shoulder and started to kneel.  
Sean wasn't even able to think straight when he started pulling out Finn's pants desperately to satisfy him.  
\- I didn't know you were so eager about it, sweetie. - Finn teased him when he took his tight underwear off. His dick hit Sean's face, making pre-cum spread all through his face. - Fuck, Sean!  
\- That's exactly what I want! - And licked his pink glans, putting it in his mouth and petting it with his tongue. They are both maliciously at each other. When they had their first times, Sean always looked away and felt like he was doing something wrong all the time. Now they fucked, oh, so many times that Sean knew exactly which were his weak points. Sean swallowed him completely, feeling his glans way back in his mouth, the way he liked it. Tasting Finn one time almost hooked him to his body and always left him wishing for more and more.  
In a slow, torturous pace, he was moving his head back and forth, enjoying the moment when his dick slowly penetrated his mouth until it reached the far back and his face was near to his pubic hair, light in colour and well-cut. The smell was peculiar, something unique to Finn; well, he didn't taste any other before, but he knew it was unique. Sometimes he liked how his entire body smelled like MJ and was so sweaty.  
Little by little, Sean increased his speed, making Finn moan lowly. His face was a hot mess. There's tears on his face, spittle and pre-cum were in all of his face. They were still deeply staring at each other, Finn's face contorted by pleasure and also by the control to not moan so loudly, and Sean's satisfaction because he's the one doing that. He murmured something, putting his hand in the back of Sean's head. The hippie smiled, blinking at the boy with his large dick in the mouth.  
\- Are you ready? - Finnegan asked in the middle of a low voice moaning. Sean took the dick off his mouth, letting all of it slip on his tongue and wet lips.  
\- Oh, man, you know I am. What are you waiting to fuck my mouth? - In the beginning, it was a little complicated part to him, but he knew how much Finn liked to play with his mouth. The hippie bit his lips and pushed the back of his head at once, towards his dick. Sean was rolling his eyes up while more tears came out.  
Finn pushed him back to let him breathe and then did it again, but was pushing harder everytime, and he went on this rhythm until he came all over inside Sean's mouth, and then put his hand on his own mouth to baffle the sound of the orgasm scream. Sean got up effortlessly, but fell like a stone on the bed.  
\- Dude, you make me so tired. - He said in a sleepy voice. He was biting his lips, a little nervous because he thought he might've not met his expectations.  
\- No problem, honey. - Finn laid by his side on the bed. - You were perfect.  
\- I thought you found it terrible. - Sean looked away from Finn, to his roof. There was a slick crack there; Sean thought it hard the shape of a heart. - I always think I'm horrible at this.  
\- Your mouth is just like your drawings, Sean. - He said in an analytical voice tone and was still looking straight to his lips.  
\- If this is one more of your ridiculous comparisons...  
\- It's magic. It's fucking magic that still leaves me hooked. - His fingers, which had a few blisters because of the hard work at the pot farm and probably from more handwork he didn't really care about not knowing, were touching his lips. - It's like MJ.  
\- MJ? You achieve to get worse everyday in your flirts. - Sean licked his hot and red lips and smiled.  
Finn brought him closer and smelled the natural fragrance of his neck. For a second, Sean felt disconnected from the rest of the world, he could hear the sounds coming from his grandma's room, but those were only background noise. The music that was being played by the wind blowing outside was relaxing and the weak lights projected inside the room added to that now. They say heaven is a place on Earth that's only worth living in if someone loves you.  
Finn hugs him with his back straightened.  
\- I need to go now. - Sean felt like he was near paradise, but that a fall would always come too. There was something bothering him in his chest, but it was soon gone. His notebook was closed near their feet now and he held the hippie's hand.  
He thought a lot about what to say, but he didn't have much time, he could look straight into his eyes until getting nervous.  
\- Bring me some MJ tomorrow.  
Dumbass. Dumb fuck.  
He called himself a lot of names in his mind because of the last phrase spoken in the middle of an internal hesitation to be honest. Did Finn expected sincerity? Whatever it is, it was better to spare both. He knew it's not reciprocated and it never would be. He deserved another free spirit, and not someone stuck to insecurity and doubts, but that didn't stop him from thinking how melodic it is to be called "sweetie" and "honey" by him, always felt he had a cold tone when referring to him.  
Finn held Sean's face gently and then gave a quick kiss.  
\- Now go to sleep. - Finn said in a low voice, still holding his face. - Tomorrow is another day.  
Sean also always asked himself where he would go afterwards. His eyes started to shut and laid his head on the pillow, shutting they completely for a moment. Finn was probably putting his boots on now, and before he could say anything else, Sean gave it up to the Dream World. A little time had gone by while Sean laid in a quick conscious state and then in a stage of deep sleep. He could feel slimy stones under his feet and the false sensation of walking through the woods. He still could smell Finn and the sheets while he was talking through the foggy woods. He felt connected to the two realities, but also disconnected at the same time. The time in his cellphone showed that it was already past two hours when the stranger got in through the same window Finn used to get out.  
Standing by his side he was watching. Calm breathing, bad posture. The night visions. So mysterious, stunning and intoxicating. The stranger was guided by the feelings in his chest. That boy specifically sounded like poetry.

🍁

In the middle of Beaver Creek's night, the wind was blowing through all the windows of the houses with the lights out and delved into darkness. A young couple was having their third orgasm in the darkness of the City Park and under a cold, subtle rainfall. The light posts on the streets were making the raindrops shine, those which looked like sharp blades. In the middle of the woods, the full moon was reflecting light all it could; under thick trees, darkness was victorious. Amidst the weak fog, a little flame was still surviving above the recently burned wood. It smelled like MJ and wet dirt.  
Finn McNamara was finishing another chapter of Utopia in his tent, a work by the Englishman Thomas More. The things in Utopia seemed so simpler, but so complex at the same time. An eulogy to darkness? He was trying to avoid getting deep into these concepts now, but rather stopped the reading and went to observe the simple, no-luxury of its inhabitants. He was close to finish it and go to the pile of finished books along with Aldous Huxley's Brave new world, Friedrich Nietzsche's The antichrist, and a Sigmund Freud's book about the psychology of the masses.  
Hannah was moving by his side. She has a strong "persona" and is full of itself.  
Something hurt in his chest when he turned the page.

🍁

_There's an old black train a-coming_  
_Scraping along the iron_  
_You don't need no ticket boys_  
_It will take you when its time_

Sean opened his eyes and for a moment he couldn't even remember his own name, but knew well what was the song of the alarm. Old black train. It reminded him of the first time he jumped on a moving train a week before Christmas last year with Finn. He was having cold sweats and knew he would give up any moment, but the hippie held his hand and didn't let him give up to fear.

_This journey is a long one_  
_It will take you all around_  
_Life rushing by your window_  
_Before it lays you down_

Both of them were almost caught, but they were able to jump to the other side and ran with the cold wind. Sean and Finn achieved to be faster than the guards, but they ended up falling together in deep snow somewhere in the woods. Sean got desperate for a moment, but Finn knew how to guide himself these moments. In his large red coat, he retreated and let himself be blindly guided by Finn. Each part of the forest covered in snow put a happy and dreamy expression on his face. It was 5 months after his father's death and even though he still felt lonely and lost, he felt inspiration again since a long time.

Sean got up from his bed slightly dizzy. 8:30 AM. He needed a cold shower and a good cup of coffee to wake up for reals. He yawned and raised his arms up like a lazy cat and walked stumbling to the door, asking himself what he did last night. So far everything was normal until he looked to the floor and opened the door.  
Amidst red and slick blood, there was a little yellow bird laying dead there.  
Extremely scared, Sean grabbed the bird carefully with his hand, devastated about what seemed to be its cause of death and it had a wing missing, probably taken out by bites. He rushed down the stairs, heard voices in the kitchen and started to be more careful. It was probably just one of Daniel's unfunny jokes, but what really got Sean worried was if Daniel would kill a harmless bird for a "joke."  
The back door was open, Sean entered the garden and ran to the other side of the fence feeling his feet in the wet grass and dirt. There were footsteps there, probably Finn's. The treehouse in the Eriksen's was shaking because of the strong wind blowing. The rays of the sun didn't reach far because of the tall trees and a light morning fog was being formed now. There was a snail where Sean left the bird's body, between two red flower vases. The forest on the other side raised itself majestically, some blue butterflies were flying above the dry twigs and the orange leaves in the ground. Silence and tranquility, Sean liked to smoke MJ on the roof during the golden hour and watch the garden, sometimes he would see Chris Eriksen, the blonde boy that lives next door, playing alone in his treehouse, once he saw a deer running in the forest.  
Sean got back into the house the same way he got out. Silently.  
In the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror, his hair was all messy and a tired face. He took his clothes off without much will and put them on the dirty laundry bucket. Sean looked at the mirror again, the blue walls were the center of his attention until he saw something red near his mouth.  
A thin layer of blood was coming out of his nose.  
Sean turned the tap on and washed his face with cold water. The cold sent shivers down his spine, the blood was flushed away with the water. He got into the bath and let the body, immerse in cold water, relax. The amulet that crazy man gave to him was still in his dresser near his wet towel.  
Sean thought about the things that happened yesterday in the cafe. It seemed so surreal and unbelievable, he still wasn't believing it. The moments were going through his mind like an endless replay, until he got tired of it and went to get himself ready. Combed his hair with the fingers and decided to put the amulet on. He liked the way it looked and wanted to see how it would look on him.  
Sean went to his room. Dressed himself with a white shirt, a black blazer above it and the Hawthorn Heights mandatory tier. It was a private school and he obtained scholarship last year. Black pants and shoes, the only different colour in the palette were his red socks. He grabbed his backpack and left the room, walking to the kitchen and stopping when he saw a new face. Daniel was already devouring a second bowl of cereals, he was growing up too fast, he seemed to be in a bad mood now by looking at his face. Claire was sitting by his side, drinking tea calmly and there was a stranger woman by her side.  
\- Good morning, Sean. Did you sleep well? - Claire said putting her sippy cup in the table.  
\- Good morning. - I put my hand on Daniel's hair, but he pushed it. - Hello. - I said to the unknown woman. The woman has dark brown hair and wears a green, long dress.  
\- This is Lisbeth Fischer, I met her some time ago in Church and now she's in the city. - Claire said.  
Lisbeth greeted him with a handshake and he felt uncomfortable by her look, especially towards his neck.  
\- Your grandmother was one of the people that I got the closest to while I was here, too bad she isn't as present now in the Church. - Lisbeth was smiling while talking. - I decided to come for a visit.  
\- Won't you eat before going to school? - Claire asked touching in his shoulder. He was kind of sick, actually. Just the smell of the younger brother's cereals were driving him nuts. Claire was worrying a lot about her grandson's weight lately. He got skinnier when Esteban died.  
Sean just grabbed a green apple in the refrigerator. It was cold and had a vivid colour, Claire sure knew how to pick them. He put the cold apple inside his backpack while he murmured that was late to catch the bus. Daniel rolled up his eyes and then grabbed his phone to send messages to his schoolmates.  
\- I have to go now. See you later. - Sean hugged Claire and waved to Lisbeth, who waved back. There was something about her that really bothered him, maybe because he thought she might just be another lunatic and religious fanatic.  
Sean left home in a hurry and took a deep breath in relief when he went on the way to catch the bus. The Willow street was empty, except for a few parked cars in front of fancy houses that had beautiful gardens behind their white fences. The fog was getting strong but he could notice the trees shaking because of the wind. The sidewalk was wet and it would probably rain again later. He crossed the road and then he went towards the bus stop. A house caught his attention; the old blue house of Helga Bridges. A lonely woman that never leaves her house. There's gossip everywhere about her life and things just got worse when she was charged and arrested because of the murder of her own son. It was a big house with huge windows, but he couldn't see anything beyond the reflections of the blue sky. He still felt like he was being watched.  
In the bus stop, Charlotte Campbell was standing with her golden backpack. She was wearing a pentagram necklace. She nodded to Sean.  
\- Sean.  
\- Charlotte.  
And they stood by each other side silently. They were close classmates, they would always do their group assignments together. Sean grabbed his earphones and raised them to maximum volume with Clairo's Bags. He checked the hours and knew the bus would arrive in at last 5 minutes, so he just relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath. Charlotte was like a ghost in his side, but it was easy to ignore.

_Every second counts_  
_I don't wanna talk to you anymore, and_  
_All these little games_  
_You can call me by the name I gave you_  
_Yesterday, yeah_

On the other side of the street, some old people were walking together with small dogs. They were walking slowly and seemed to be talking about something intriguing. The dogs were smelling the gray sidewalk, wanting to walk faster. Sean was humming to the song and still was looking at the landscape. He could draw it and put on some surreal details. The Lovecraft monsters, maybe? Seemed like a good choice. Between the tall trees, he could see the red eyes shining. Halloween was coming, so he drew only this kind of stuff in his last works. He never achieved perfection in drawing that which are called gods, monsters, mythical creatures of all kinds and species...  
His mind wandered back to Claire and Daniel. Tried to understand the brother's weird behaviour due to obscure circumstances that linked them to the father's death and the guilt they both ended up carrying, but he felt grateful that Claire wasn't as religious fanatic anymore as she used to be when she took them in. Stephen had just died, so Sean also understands her.  
And there was also Finn. His biggest inspiration lately. Sean felt deep in his chest the mystery that surrounded him and his group of "vagabonds", as Finn would like to say himself. They both kissed for the first time when Sean got lost in the woods and ended up finding that campfire party. Surreal.  
The yellow bus showed up in the end of the street. Samuel, the driver, was smiling largely when he opened the door to the two teenagers, Sean asked himself why he was so happy when he passed by him. Samuel just renovated his LSD package that morning.  
And the effect wouldn't take long.  
The school was close, but only later would Sean know that the bus hit a post and that it would stab the brains of the poor high driver.

🍁

Chris Eriksen was finishing to paint Mars in his treehouse when his cellphone alarm rang in his lap. Lucky for him he finished all of the red layer, the only one missing above the orange and white layers.  
It's school time.  
Chris left his project and started to get down from the treehouse silently. It was already 9 AM and he had to hurry to arrive in time, probably would miss the first period, but he didn't care. He was on his regular way to school when he went walking and then forgot that left his backpack at home.  
Chris hurried back and tripped twice on the way, hitting his nose on the ground. As per usual, his mind wandering, he forgot his homework in the room, but only grabbed the backpack in the couch next to his father who was fainted and probably drunk. On the way, he played astronaut who had just arrived in Mars, sometimes he felt bad because he was 14 and still acted like 8, but he just shrugged and enjoyed the fact that no one was on the streets. He thanked every existent god because the majority of his neighbours were old people that didn't wake up early.  
His blonde hair was spiked because of the cold wind and his expression became more depressive by each street he passed through and as he got nearer to school. His orange coat was a little too big for him and he hardly could see his own legs. His eyes were kinda red that morning, maybe his skin was irritated cause of something, maybe it was still because of yesterday's fire. Chris passed by a huge retirement house which served as a reference to when there was just only one more street to arrive there.  
His good mood was flushed away.  
Daniel practically invaded his mind. The last time he saw him, waved at him and got an angry face as an answer. They got far from each other those last months and Chris couldn't figure out why.  
He gulped with that anquish knot that was tied to his throttle when that day came back to his mind.  
\- "A" is for the apple that he gave to me, but I found a worm inside. - Chris was singing that sad song which he could perfectly remember all of the lyrics. With his shoulders lowered in a sign of desistance, he kept on walking, his backpack seemed to weigh a lot more now, like he was carrying tons in his back. - "B" is for beloved that I call to him before he left my side, and "C", see what he did? That's "D" did it to poor ol' me, how could I be such an "E"motional fool?  
But Superwolf was still abiding in his mind, even if Daniel wasn't the same as before. Chris left his Captain Spirit behind when his new obsession became spacemen and the planets of the solar system, but the comics that he wrote and draw about the incredible adventures of Superwolf and Captain Spirit were still in his backpack, including the last issue he wrote about both of them. Life on Mars?  
Chris gulped when he realized that he would need to go to detention for being late again. He grabbed his backpack tightly and went running to the back door entrance, where he would go to the infirmary and would see the nurse Edith Beaumont. Chris avoided the outside cameras and gently knocked on the infirmary's glass door. His heart was beating fast and you could see he was nervous in his expression. He was biting his lips strongly. There were three stretchers inside the room, Chris was already able to smell the strong smell of alcohol there in each object and Edith's cigarettes.  
\- I hope you have a good excuse this time! Get in, it's cold as hell out there! - Edith spoke in her strong French accent. He pushed him inside the hot room and closed the door. - Will I need to lecture about responsibility again? Want to go to detention, Eriksen?  
Chris looked straight at the floor thinking about an excuse. At the end, he shrugged and just said the first thing that came to mind.  
\- I had some trouble on the way. I swear! That dog seemed to have rabid and was right on my way to school. - Chris tried to use his childish charm with his big blue eyes. He got his hands together in a way of begging.  
Edith rolled up her eyes.  
\- A rabid dog? How horrible and revolting, Chris Eriksen! - She spoke with rage. Crossing her arms and wearing her childish nurse clothing, he didn't take her rage seriously. - I thought you had a better attitude, but I think I got myself wrong about you. - Edith shook her head compulsively. Her black hair flew with the movement. - Come, I'll take you to class. I'll tell Mrs. Amy you were helping me with the new students' records when the bell rang. Now come on. - She took him out of the infirmary.  
Chris knew she wasn't meaning it and would do the same thing the next day, she always did it, but he still felt a little bad for making her go through that. The new racist principal always gave them some indiscreet looks and would use that as an excuse to fire her. Chris wouldn't give him this taste.  
Edith, on the other hand, suspected Chris was autist.  
She knocked the door of the science class and awaited for Amy. A long sigh and a look at her wristwatch. One of the lights at the end of the hall was blinking unstoppably, Chris thought that it gave a spooky atmosphere to the grey door that leads to the laboratory. He grabbed his backpack more tightly when Amy opened the door and looked closely at him.  
\- Late. Again.  
\- Sorry, Mrs. Amy. Chris was helping me out in the infirmary with some students' record, I didn't think he would be this late.  
Amy didn't react in any way. Behind her, some gossippers were always looking at whoever came to the door, anxiously awaiting for just a little gossip that would take them out of the class' boredom. Chris had just a few classes with Daniel, what was disappointing in the past became a relief.  
\- Just when I was gonna take the homework. Get in.  
Chris quickly walked to his desk in the back of the room. Ignored the looks at him all he could. With his tense shoulders, he sat looking at his own hands and took a moment to look up. Wanted suddenly to quickly put his hand on his backpack and grab his coloured pencils and finish the drawings of Life on Mars?  
Well, that's exactly what he did. He was finishing the details of Superwolf's uniform on page 18 when his eyes widened and remembered about homework. He had forgotten it in his room.

🍁

\- Did you think this was a fox, sir? - Ben Crawford asked Officer Alla Montgomery pointing to his dead sheep in the field. There was dry blood through all the grass, that came out of the sheeps' dilacerated bodies. The farmer's house wasn't so far away from the country and they both were drinking a cup of lemonade. Officer Margret Haynes, who was called to the scene, was awaiting in his distance holding a police radio. They weren't so far away from the city.  
Ben thought Allan would puke when he saw the site of the massacre, but contrary to what he was awaiting that all just another regular workday for him.  
\- Maybe a fox group. - Allan shrugged and drank his last sip. The excessively acid juice went from his mouth to his stomach like water.  
\- Do you know anything about foxes? - Ben asked with a worried face on.  
Allan didn't really care about answering that and just started to explore around. Five dead sheep and with missing body parts. Huge footsteps and a trace of destruction and blood that lead to the forest. Fuck.  
\- It was a huge animal. - He looked at the footsteps and then at the sheep, worried. The rotten smell was starting to be present and the flies were flying over the body. A huge animal that did big destruction on Beaver Creek, that was all that this week lacked. Ben said he heard a loud noise in the middle of the dawn that awakened him frightened, walking holding his gun and flashlight he said he saw the silhouette of a huge animal going to the forest after eating his sheep. - We call forensics to try and identify what kind of animal.  
\- Allan? - Margret called for him. - We have an emergency in T. Ward street. A school bus driver lost control and hit a post. He was alone.  
It's really a bad time in the city. Bizarre things happened everywhere. The psychotic mother, the madman that attacked the cafe and the fires.  
\- Don't touch anything until the other cops arrive!  
Ben felt shivers just looking at the forest, with the trees shaking lightly with the wind. Something hides there, in the woods, someplace. He also felt a bad feeling just from remembering how things happened that dawn. The loud noise that woke him up. Even in the darkness of his room, he felt that evil presence. When he looked through the window, he saw something attached to the last sheep's stomach.  
He waved to Allan while he saw both of them leaving.  
Ben always will remember the loud and painful grunts he heard. And that howling in the darkness of the woods.  
\- Don't you think it's weird? - He asked his mate when he got in the car, on passenger side.  
\- It depends. The driver or the dead animals?  
\- The dead animals. - Margret started the car, trying to drive quickly to the city. - We had a case like this two years ago. It happened to these cows on the other side of town.  
\- Do you think it's the same animal?  
\- Probably not. But the attacks are following the same pattern now.  
It's happening again.


	4. Chapter 03: Nocturnal Animals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a rather agitated day in Beaver Creek! Both Chris and Sean have a rough day in school, as they have unexpected encounters during lunchtime. Allan keeps going with his investigation. Karen and David look for Lisbeth. Chris meets a stranger in the Reynolds backyard.

1

Karen Reynolds wasn't able to remember last time she really felt anxiety. Maybe right after abandoning her two children, maybe right after running away and pretending nothing even happened. Her heart was beating really fast in her chest, and she hated that feeling. She had a severe headache too. Her fingers were massaging her own head and touching her short blonde hair. Her blushed face because of Haven Point's intense heat just made the headache more severe. She was still able to feel the hot air of the city all over her body.

\- In here it's even hotter than Away. - David Madsen murmured by her side, driving the old truck and paying attention to the street. He was the only companion Karen accepted for the trip. The gun in her pocket seemed heavier now, and she was fearing the moment that she would need to really use it.

Gorillaz's To Binge was played sweetly in the background. 

\- It's the fourth sign, David! - She pointed impatiently to a huge outdoor of the Universal Uprising Church. It was something about the church's mission, Karen didn't really care about the message, but she knew they were close now.

\- What will you do when you find her?

\- Kill her. - The plan was to shoot right in the head of Lisbeth Fischer, once they found her in her hiding place. David frowned and almost stopped driving.

\- You can't do that. It will only do you harm and throw all your effort into the trash can! - He was ready to start discussing with her now. The car passed by the side of a little dog's corpse, David felt really bad by the dog just by thinking what might've been the cause of death. They were really close to the church.

\- That woman is a lunatic, David. She can't be kept around!

\- It's not up to you to decide that. - The gun in her pocket came back to mind. Maybe it was better to leave it alone. Karen was chained to a bad dream and now she was about to enter the gates of hell. She already was familiar to Lisbeth, met her a long time ago and almost ended up dead because of that. Was she still as mad as back then?

Sometimes Away would come back to her mind. She started to think about the last time she watched the stars with Stan and Arthur, Arthur still complained about Stan's coffee but really admired him playing the ukulele. Joan would be painting by their side, painting something related to the planets. Karen smiled and grabbed on to these memories to try and get away from her painful past life, the hole in her chest that abides. Always got curious about how Sean and Daniel were, especially after she heard about Esteban's death.

When they both arrived in the church, or what remained of it, Karen hurried to leave the car and looked at the destroyed facade. All of the white walls were now black and greyish. Every tree and bush around got destroyed. There's a huge iron cross on the ground, the old symbol of power and glory to the church now destroyed by the fire. Every window got wrecked too. The church's fence got run down, just like the little mailbox, which seemed to be the only survivor from the fire. That roasted place didn't seem to be really safe, but she bit her lips and got through, above the fence.

\- You aren't planning to go in, are you? - David asked her, leaving the car.

Karen got through the police's yellow line, toring it apart.

\- I want to see what's left.

\- I don't really know, but it seems to me that nothing's really left of it.

\- I want to check if she's dead.

\- If she's dead, they probably took her body. Really, it's not safe to go in, it could all fall down any moment.

Karen stopped for a moment, looked at him, he was sweating all over, and then looked at the church again. David didn't notice the burning eyes she had looking at the church, all he knew was that she had a rough past with that church and Lisbeth, and she understood the reasons for making justice with her own hands, he really did. If it was his daughter, David won't even hesitate, because he had nothing left to lose at this point in his life.

\- I want to see what remained of this place.

David conceded.

The church's foyer smelled like burnt meat. There were thousands of ashes scattered through the floor, all of the money in the donation boxes. The story about the church fire got famous in Haven Point, the majority of the population knew the church's community and the "lovely" pastor Lisbeth. They thought she was a kind, gentle and faithful woman, they believed blindly in her. No one knows about the cause of the fire, but of course there are rumours. An arson around here, planned to kill Lisbeth. Later, David and Karen would talk to the townspeople about the incident, and they would find out interesting things: yes, Lisbeth survived the fire and was one of the last survivors. Along the few church members who also survived, they went to god knows where.

🍁

The school bus surprisingly arrived at its destination just like any other regular day. Sean walked calmly after most of the students passed. His earbuds were so loud that the song could be heard in the ambient, but almost in an imperceptible way. His brown eyes locked on the school's facade. The white brick building and that raised the extravagant Hawthorn Heights coat.

His mind went back to the first class of the day. Advanced English. He needed to hurry to get to the other side of the building, just hoped to not run into Kevin Montgomery. Took his earphones off and climbed up the stairs to get in and already felt that bad sensation, that cold in his stomach. It's not a good sign. He started to walk even faster in the white hall and saw the 80s rock bands walls made by his art class. Sean was proud of his painting. Right ahead, Kevin was walking with his friends in his same... arrogant way. With his head raised up high, he was pushing some people in his way with his shoulder and put a malicious smile on his face when he saw Sean. He also could feel the boner rising in his pants. Principal Victoria was looking at him cautiously, her eyes full of disgust, then he walked to the library by the other side. Kevin didn't speak anything after seeing he was ignored on purpose.

Vice-principal Jacob Welch kept looking at Kevin. He didn't even notice when Alice Martin hid a bottle of whisky in her locker and then walked like she had just hidden a gun. Of course, none of this escaped the careful eyes of Sean Diaz. Sometimes he also wished he was deaf to not listen to the unpleasant comments in the hall. The whispers about who slept with who, about who had the tightiest pussy in school. There were also morbid rumours he'd rather not repeat. Sean just kept walking. Most of the school students could be cruel. The rich, weird and asshole portion of the town gathered in the same place. He knew he was judged by most of them because he was an immigrant, and also because he didn't care for becoming friends with anyone other than the "Blair witch" and was terribly sexually assaulted by the other part. Of course, the fetish of the tanned Latino, with a huge dick and available eight days of the week. And of course, the VP also kept an eye on him just because he THOUGHT he smuggled drugs.

Sean passed by a group of girls, impatient about how slow they were walking. Climbed the stairs to the second floor, bought a cappuccino for 50 cents. It was a red cup with the hot drink, passed by another (weird) group of boys and arrived in his class after 14 minutes. Sean was exhausted.

_ Fucking enormous school _

It was still too early in the morning to be grumpy. And for the first time on that day, he noticed too many people were looking his way, way more than the usual, and he felt extremely bothered by this.

\- It must've been horrible. - A girl said getting near him. She had huge socks with the Nyan Cat. - The thing you went through yesterday.

\- What?

\- The mayor's sister made a statement about it. She was so traumatized, nowadays you can't even drink a cup of coffee without a madman breaking through your window. - She frowned in an exaggerated manner while speaking in a hurry. Sean rolled up his eyes without her noticing and laid his head on the cold window. He sat in a desk far from everyone else just to avoid being the centre of attention and not it was all being flushed away and it wasn't even his fault. - You know, like, racism is so wrong, but people still do it anyway... - Weird, Sean knew she dumped her last pretender's ass because she didn't want to be confused with "a smuggler's girlfriend." Charlotte was the one that told him about it and now she was here like she was queen of England and had all reason behind her. - I know that "I'm sorry" won't help you in any way, but you know you can stand by me for everything from now on, I'll always be there for you. - Why do her voice tone made him think about the opposite situation?

\- Alright. Alright. - Sean faked a smile and pretended to find the situation fun. - You don't need to worry about me.

\- Well. - She grabbed a blue paper and put it on his desk. - You can call me anytime you like.

  
  


**503-216-3047**

**Stacy**

**XoXo**

Stacy went back to her friend group with a smile. Sean threw the paper out of the window without anyone noticing.

🍁

Chris was sinking down completely into his daydreams during sex education class. His real dreams, conversations with his mind being written in the paper. He was drawing some parts of " _ Life on Mars? _ " and reviewing some texts. The introduction to Mars was the most complicated part and with the lights off, everything was a little blurry. He still disguised when the teacher passed by him to watch how his students were coming, to see who was taking important notes and who wasn't.

\- Today, we'll learn about the main parts of the masculine and feminine bodies and how they work. Why is it so important for you to learn about this now? Well, you're all in a stage of your life when your bodies are going through changes and you need to know what is happening. Being a teenager can be really stressing, and we need to be sure you'll learn everything about your own bodies, so you are gonna take the best decisions in the future.

Of course, the laughing. Chris thinks this is an important subject, but being discussed in a class without any maturity. Not like he was the god of this kind of knowledge, since he had a freak out when his first pubic hair showed up. His father, always dead drunk, never taught him the basics about his body, so Chris thought that was really weird, and he hyperventilated and took all of them with his bare hands. Then blood came all over his penis and it was all red. He got goosebumps just remembering the situation. His attention went from his comic book to the video being exhibited like he was watching a tennis match. He also avoided looking to the side. Sometimes his curiosity was stronger and looked through the corner of the eye. Chris couldn't understand why Daniel Diaz sat by his side if supposedly he couldn't even stand him. He also could feel the eyes burning in his back neck.

As each class with Daniel ended, he felt like he was getting rid of a problem and even though he wanted to feel relieved, his mind kept going round and round, and he wasn't able. In the beginning, they both were able to avoid each other after THAT happened, but the things kept getting intense and it was like there was a magnet putting them together again. Chris was careful making the comic book, he drew Superwolf with only a passing resemblance to Daniel, he tried to not draw the eyes more detailed like he wanted in his mind. More laughs caught Mr. Park's attention, who was just walking slowly through the class. Chris looked at the teacher through the corner of his eye and Daniel's eyes locked on his.

\- So each part of the masculine reproductive system creates sperm. First of all, we have the testicles, popularly known as "balls." The testicles' main objective is to create sperm, so it works like a sperm factory.

\- Children, pay attention! - Mr. Park almost shouted, his arms crossed. - This will be the theme of the next surprise test, Wednesday. - After realizing what he did, he slapped his own forehead and murmured something inaudible. What happened after helped to get the two boys even closer. A big, fat spider fell out of the vents of the classroom, landing right in Hazel Schmidt's black hair, a tall and shy girl that sat behind Chris to cheat from him without him even noticing, always taking advantage of the little boy's lack of attention. - Children, don't forget to- - Mr. Park was interrupted by Hazel's loud scream, who got up from her chair punching her own head. - Holy god, what is this?

Startled, Chris dropped his notebook on the ground, what means that his comic books went to the floor too. Daniel saw some pages by the corner of the eye and thought of putting his hand in the lap and getting a few pages with his powers, hiding them in the brown backpack. Hazel made more people scream in the class when they saw the spider running in the floor. Chris, his face blushed and ignoring all the hysteric screaming, quickly grabbed the pages, praying no one saw them. His face was priceless for Daniel when Mr. Park turned the lights on and made a cross sign to the situation. Linda Dvorkin stepped on Chris' left hand when she passed running for the exit. Chris murmured in pain and put his notebook in his lap. Daniel used his telekinesis to provoke Linda's violent fall. She knocked the school's old projector down. Mr. Park rolled up his eyes and tried to look at the damage.

Daniel caught the inoffensive spider in his hands, taking it away from another panicking student and took her to the window. With the arachnid gone, attentions came to Leonard Campbell jerking off in the back of the classroom. Before another scandal started, the ring for lunch break rang and Chris didn't waste time to put his notebook on the back and left in a hurry.

He felt terribly ashamed and his cheeks were aching. The halls were starting to get packed, but Chris didn't even notice what was happening around him as he got lost inside his own mind again. Should he go back and try to speak with Daniel again? He couldn't handle the massive tension between them, the way they look at each other like perfect strangers when they accidentally look at each other. He was talking towards the back of the school, where he would eat in peace and keep on working in his comic book. He hardly could see the moment when he would get rid of all these people in the halls.

Walked his habitual route to the school's back, passing by the goth teenagers who were happy in do nothing more than smoke in the staircase and read Edgar Allan Poe tales. The dramatic tone of whoever was reading was terrible. Chris hurried but still couldn't get past the teasing.

\- This jacket is way too big for you, conformist. - The tallest kid said. His black eyes getting every detail. Not even his hands were showing. Chris looked at them and stared for a few seconds before he rolled up his eyes.

\- At least I'll live longer than you.

The sky is grey. The clouds seemed loaded, their fury would soon fall over Beaver Creek. Chris was finishing his white chocolate. Peace and serenity to finish the last pages of his comic book. He felt really relieved, especially because the outside world completely vanished now and his attention was all focused on the last moments of Superwolf and Captain Spirit in Mars, sitting together looking at the enormous universe. What will we do now? How this story ends? Chris wrote Superwolf's last line. They just went through the biggest adventure of their lives and now they had to pick between staying or going back home. Now we split up.

A lightning bolt stroke when Chris finished painting Captain Spirit's freckles.

\- These moments break my heart. - Chris whispered to himself. In a certain way it's a parallel to their own relationship. Over. Sinking down. - Someday you'll meet again in a happy sunny day. - The wind blew through the trees beyond the white fences. A distant whistle caught his attention, and he looked to the space between the fences to see who was there.

A woman in the middle of the trees, near the bushes. Seemed to be hiding herself and was holding a basket. Her skin was pale and she was talking slowly towards him. A long black dress and a diamond necklace he was able to see clearly now.

\-  _ Chris _

He got up and awaited for her.

🍁

Sean was just finishing his strawberries silently. The danish cake was still untouched near the thick colouring paper. It still had a nice appearance and was proud of picking the best in the cafeteria. The surroundings weren't exactly very pleasant, eating behind the football field's bleachers was lonely, but still had its charms. The smells of the cafeteria made him sick. That smell of French fries and cold coffee. Finn McNamara's eyes were looking at Sean's in the drawing, daring him to make something decent, even if it ended in a trash can. He laid his back on the bleacher, taking a deep breath and smelling the burned dirt. A beetle fell on his shoulder.

\- Hey, buddy. - The black beetle rested on his hand. It was still small and should get bigger. His paws were itching and Sean put him gently on the ground. Then he went his own way, but contrary to what he believed, the beetle didn't leave immediately and with extremely slow steps. Sean got back to his art.

Finn's dreads covered one of his eyes, showing only half his triangle tattoo. Sean tried to make his eyes more intense and put some effort on the porcelain blue, but he wanted to experiment deep blue too, which was closer to the real colours, he chose the porcelain blue. It took a little time to draw the red scar on his nose, Sean got closer to his drawing to make it in the better proportions. He stopped drawing for a moment and watched. He did an excellent job and, while he wanted to show it to his source of inspiration, that would be one more for his personal collection. Sean stayed in a cloud of anxiety and satisfaction. The mouth slightly open and his cheeks itching.

\- Sorry, didn't know you were busy. - Kevin's voice took away all his precious attention from the drawing. Kevin was all sweaty and with a towel on his shoulders. He was exhibiting his arms and shoulders, trying to impress. Of course Kevin being there wasn't by fate. He went to look for Sean all over school, and when he saw him behind the bleachers, where we was practising almost all the time, he felt really, really stupid. He expected Sean to eat him with his eyes, but just got an uninterested look in response and then Sean got his attention back on the drawing. - It's bad manners to ignore.

Sean rolled up his eyes before he started packing his things.

\- Alright, don't need to get all worked up, snowflake. I'll let this one slip.- Kevin grabbed his chin, forcing him to raise his eyes and look at him. - What are you drawing there, eh, cutie? - Sean got bothered by the invasive attitude and looked at Kevin's hand pressed against his leg. A look of mistrust collides with the look of desire. There's tension between the two, Kevin seems to be holding a huge weight to not grab him and go straight to his "prize" and Sean was controlling himself too much to not punch his stomach.

\- So, who is this?

\- My boyfriend. - Sean didn't regret about what he said, felt strange, but didn't regret it. He didn't know if it was just the chance to get rid of this assaulter or if it was his real desire. He saw that feeling of hurt in Kevin's emerald eyes. Rejection seemed to hurt. Without thinking twice, he grabbed his drawing and the rest of his stuff. A lightning bolt stroke the moment Kevin grabbed his arm.

\- I don't like sharing, but I think we can make an exception here, you little slut. - Kevin bit his lips and planned to kiss him. - Dude, what the fuck? - He said after Sean punched him strongly in the belly, letting go all his anger and disgust. Another lightning stroke, a storm would fall soon. He saw a small swastika tattooed in Kevin's right shoulder while Kevin contorted himself in the grass. - Fuck! You fucking psychopath! - He put everything insde his backpack and got up carefully to not hit the white wood. His heart seemed to be taking huge jumps in his chest and he was shaking as all hell. Sean grabbed his backpack and ran through the wet field towards the masculine dressers.

Sean quickly ran without any difficulty, he was an athlete before he left Seattle. He just didn't enter the athletics club in Hawthorn Heights because he didn't liked anyone. The grey door was closed, but he heard loud laughs and chattering from away. Sean got in at once and stopped a moment to analyze the place.

\- Diaz? Who told you to get in here?

As he saw the exit, he ran towards it like his life depended on that. He was small compared to some of semi-naked boys in there and he was able to successfully avoid the steroid-filled bodies. The dresser smelled like cologne and deodorant. It was too strong and almost unbearable.

\- Crap! - Sean crashed on the orange wall that had some warnings about extra classes pinned. He was panting so much that he could feel his lungs hurting. - No, no! - Only then he remembered about the drawing and was repeating no like a mantra, hoping nothing happened to the precious inspiration. Luckily it was still intact. A few wrinkles, but nothing so alarming. Sean took a deep breath, relieved. He looked at the wall, trying to distract from the tension running all over his body and saw a poster of a missing girl.

**Maxine Caulfield**

**Missing in: Beaver Creek since September 22.**

**22 years old**

**5.47 feet**

**Hair colour: strawberry blonde**

**Eyes colour: blue**

These missing person posters are everywhere. Maxine... she seemed very shy and smart. What could have happened to her?

It wasn't the first poster that put some paranoia on Sean's mind. Since he arrived in Beaver Creek, there were too many missing people for such a small town. Sean hoped he didn't join the club. Grabbed his backpack and went to arts class.

🍁

\- Don't even think I forgot about you, Sean Diaz! Where is your homework? - Damn, Sean didn't even remember why he decided to take the extra class of photography, or why he chose it on his free work days. Before taking that decision, he knew he probably would need to face Claire and Daniel earlier so maybe that was why he decided. He got up from his chair, grabbing his backpack. All of the students were sitting in only one central desk, like a reunion. The walls were taken by all kinds of photographs, most of these by teacher Dawn Hendricks. A blonde woman, with pointy fingers and a skin way too pale. Her room smelled like green tea and incense.

\- I want to talk to you. - He called him, looking at him intensely, just like if she wanted to read him inside. There was no one else there, Sean liked to be the last one to leave. He liked to avoid the feeling of being watched everytime, that gave him chills. Sean held his backpack and the red coat in his arm. - Come here.

Sean walked towards her desk looking at all the pictures on the wall. He liked to watch and lose himself in whatever was happening during the moment she took those pictures. Was she feeling anxious? Did the places smell bad? Was she feeling inspired?

Architectural pictures, some slight erotical pictures, macrophotography and photojournalism. That woman is a genius.

\- You're so shy lately, Sean. Of course that doesn't worry me about your grades, but I worry about the other part, the social one. - Dawn was able to express herself very clearly. Gosh, Sean did really envy that talent. - I feel devastated when I notice you're lost in daydreams during my class instead of joining the chat.

\- I don't even know why I'm here. - He said looking at the blue floor, pressing his fingers on the red coat.

\- I know why. Your talents aren't related only to drawing, Sean. You'd be a fool if you believed in that. But I do have something that can get you up. - She smiled, showing her very white teeth. She opened a drawer in her desk and started looking for something. Sean kept looking at the root and at the walls. The room had no windows, which he loved because he got distracted too easily. - Oh, this. - She put an old Polaroid camera on the desk. - I see more than a simple talent in you.

Sean widened his eyes and stepped back.

\- No, you don't need to give me a camera, I...

\- Will you recuse my gift? - She smiled inocently. - I don't do this for any student, Sean.

\- I know, teacher, that's why I need to recuse. - He bit his lips and crossed his arms. - I'm sorry.

\- Come on, don't be a fool now. I know you need this, but you're too proud to ask your grandmother. You also know that you need to develop your talents with excellence. You're my most exceptional student, I won't take no as answer. Well, at least not without trying to convince you.

\- Okay, but I'll give it back to you later.

He took the camera and smiled with some effort. He was really happy inside, but wasn't able to show it, but at least a true smile of happiness showed up when he was alone in the hall. There was no one else in school other than the teachers leaving and some staff chatting. The windows showed the sunny late afternoon, birds flying from oak tree to oak tree. Tall oak trees, agitated by the strong wind.

VP Jacob Welch was staring at Sean, standing in front of his office's door. Frowning and with a look of mistrust, as per usual.

Sean felt cold wind blowing through his skin. It was a pungent feeling. He put the coat on carefully and went his way. He felt being watched. Looked at some corners, but wasn't able to see anyone, not even in the windows that reflected the sun.

\- Got ya! - Sean felt the heavy touch on his shoulder and jumped, startled. Luckily he didn't drop the camera. Looked behind him to see the playful smile of Finn. They stayed there for a few moments, looking at each other in the eyes. Lonely in the streets.

Hawthorn Heights was already left behind and there were only a few houses and shops around. The few properties around seemed abandoned. The huge tree twigs dominated the streets. 

\- How was your day, sweetie?

Sean was able to hear a little worried tone, especially when Finn got close and hugged him. He was smelling like ink and marijuana and smiled when he noticed that he tried to disguise the bad smell with strawberry scent. Finn leaned in and kissed him, they kissed slowly, focused only on each other's presence. They both delivered to each in silence during that pink and blue late afternoon.

\- Did something happen? - Sean held his chin, not letting he look away.

\- Don't you know what happened to the driver?

\- What?

\- He lost control of the bus and hit a post.

\- I was probably in lunchtime. - Sean's heart jumped for a second when he remembered the brief encounter with Kevin. - But I was already awaiting for it. He was a drunkard.

\- New camera? You don't want to know the ideas I just had. - Finn put his arm behind Sean and took him to the car.

\- Dude, stop it! - Sean rolled up his eyes, but couldn't stop laughing.

The shadow was slipping through the trees, noiseless, watching them. There was something burning in his eyes, but it was not anger... it was desire. In ecstasy, he hardly could think right.

🍁

Allan Montgomery finished his black, strong coffee and watched the ambient of The Birds & The Flowers cafeteria. The lonely ambient and the bad lighting made him melancholic. The waitress seemed to be so intimidated that she got startled by the doorbell. The blushed cheeks and the frowning didn't hide her trauma. She asked herself why she was working there today when she should be home resting after the assault. The kitchen's yellow light spread through the grey ambient everytime someone opened the door. The place seemed to be modeled to attract all kind of gossippers interested in what happened, a stroke of genius. Allan got his attention back to the image in the laptop. The symbols in the tree logs consumed by the fires the last few weeks. Small areas, but completely devastated. He suspected it was Satanists' work, and that's why he contacted a old college friend who now lives in Toronto, Ryan Howard. Allan found out in his Instagram that he studied the story of occultism briefly after finishing college. He just sent an email asking for his help when his caramel Macchiato arrived. The hot, tasty drink put him back in a good mood. On the other side, there was his chicken croissant.

\- You can order a frappuccino later, sir. We have the new tastes of white chocolate and strawberry. As an extra, you can get a espresso brownie or a chocolate and blueberry muffin.

\- I'm fine. Thanks. - The waitress smiled and walked silently towards the kitchen.

A world of madness. Allan thought while looking at the pictures. The symbols seemed to be identical, but only a few details changed between them. That was the pattern. The officer paused in the most recent image. He laid his back on the cozy chair and shut his eyes. Suddenly, all the problems he tried to avoid while doing his work came back to torment him. The dead eyes of his youngest son after he slipped his own wrists in the bath. The white floor stained in deep red.

\- Agatha, be careful with the decoration! It costs more than your cheap dress! - The woman left the administration room putting her black coat on, Per Una style. She was wearing leather boots and a long, red shirt. The velvet pants were stained with strawberry ice cream. Helen tried to disguise the stain with her coat, but that didn't escape from the eyes of attentive and grumpy officer Montgomery.

Agatha raised her eyes from decoration box and smiled ironically when Helen wasn't looking. She put a glass pumpkin on the counter and a pointy witch hat on it. She spread trails of fake candy through the floor.

\- You'll close the cafeteria today. - Helen whispered to her and left. Allan noticed something strange in the picture when he zoomed it. He tried to look closer and closer. At the same day, early after taking the dead driver to the morgue, Allan went back to the fire scenes to take more detailed pictures. Near the trees in the back, there was a huge silhouette of somebody with black wool covering their face. Something inside of him screamed that he was right all along, that really was work of an occultist group, even if the picture didn't really reveal such great things. He shut his laptop and put his hand on his greasy, white hair. He decided he should go back for clues; maybe his intuition was right after all, again.

\- Take some chocolate bars. They're free, to get into Halloween mood. - Agatha offered the bars in counter jar when Allan went to pay for the parking.

\- Halloween is not so close yet, little girl.

\- I'm sorry, our bosses suffer from anxiety.

Beaver Creek was already diving into the night's darkness. Most of the houses in Willow street had the lights off and there wasn't a single living soul on the street. Allan wasn't impressed, it was bingo night and there was a party in Jordan's house, a popular friend of his oldest son. The only one alive. Some houses were already decorated for Halloween, some had plastic ghosts in the trees, some had candles and pumpkins in their yards. His car was running so fast that everything became distorted, until he arrived in the woods.

Allan walked with some difficulty holding his weak flashlight, but then arrived the fire site. The owls, sitting in the highest twigs of the dry trees, watched the stranger silently and when you saw them from far, they looked like otherworldly beings. The ground was also not reliable, and the spiders hid under the dry leaves' mounts. When he arrived on the log's coordinates, he tried to compare the place to his mental picture.

\- What the fuck! - He murmured when he noticed his foot got caught in deep mud. Laid his back on a fragile log and was able to take it off. Went to the specific point he remembered and saw huge footsteps in the dirt and some pieces of red wax.

Allan followed the trail inside the forest without thinking on his way back. He got up on fallen and slippery logs. Apart from the flashlight, he also was counting on the weak light reflected by the new moon and was able to guide himself by the footsteps.

Allan wasn't alone anymore.

The flashlight illuminated someone dressed in a huge black tunic and with a white rabbit mask on his face. Was holding a rusty axe in both hands and watching him closely.

\- Who are you? I have a gun and I ask you to cooperate with me!

The figure didn't even move, obviously didn't got intimidated by what he said. But... he also didn't approach with hostility. One of Allan's guns was bad health and police's physical training, that was obvious. Nothing was moving, there was no sound anywhere in the forest beyond the tall trees and bushes. The nearby animals were silent because of the disturbance.

The officer was getting close carefully and got frozen into place when the stranger raised his hand softly. His hands were shut in fists. Allan noticed that the masked one was wearing gloves in his other hand and wasn't able to finish his line of thinking when he felt the cold wind blowing through his face. The cold and dead look of the rabbit stared at the man choking because of red dust that was in his hand.

His eyes got filled with water while he was going through that cough crisis, also felt that he was suffocating, like something was stuck in his throat and that his throat was closing. The ambient started to spin around him, his confused senses weren't able to see anything properly, he was just sinking down that blind and confusing spiral.

\- You don't know where you are getting into. - The feminine voice said behind the mask, leaning in towards the man agonizing in the ground. She knew Allan could hear her in that hallucinatory trip. - Stop looking for us.

🍁

The Town Line Salem Motel was a little building located in a distant part of the town of Salem. A cheap motel, but it had free wi-fi, what caught David Madsen's attention to stay a night at it with Karen Reynolds. She was in the room, packing up for the trip to Beaver Creek, she didn't had planned what she would do when she found Lisbeth, but she knew that woman was going after her sons.

\- Can you tell me why she is so dangerous?

\- She will kill my sons. - She said as she finished packing the things up.

The room was small and the pair of beds were almost only one if it wasn't for the little desk with the bedlight in between. The old, green wallpaper was dark and its green was starting to vanish. The pink curtains were torn and they always showed the parking lot. Karen gulped when she saw the look on David's face. Her deadly secrets are slowly eating her inside.

\- I know I owe you an explanation, David, but things are too complicated for me. There are things you wouldn't understand. - Karen sat on the uncomfortable bed near her small suitcase and looking at her own hands. Looked at them like if they were deadly weapons. - I can't keep this secret any longer.

David gently touched her shoulder. Felt something that didn't feel in a long time. Insecurity. Just like if everything would tumble down again like what happened in Arcadia Bay. The overwhelming air was raised in that room. The smell of the coffee that David ordered on the other side of the street also dominated the room. Karen tried to disguise her wet eyes and her blushed cheeks.

\- You don't need to tell me, I trust you. - David didn't want to put more pressure on her. Buried his inquietation and curiosity deep down his chest for her sake.

\- I-I can't hold it anymore. - Karen stuttered, almost crying now. Her tears started to slip down her skin, burned by the sun. Her loud and compulsive hiccups broke David's heart. - I abandoned my sons because I thought it would be better for them if they didn't had their weirdo mother around.

\- Weirdo?

The heated discussions with her mother came back the night her parents found out about it. Claire called her a demon and asking herself where she went wrong raising her daughter. There were also the moments she associated the daughter to satanism, having the completely wrong idea injected in her mind by the small town's church. How Karen hated that town for the rest of her life, that small-minded people.

\- Promise me you won't freak out. - Karen practically whispered while she held his arm strongly. - Promise me! - She looked at him and he wasn't able to react to the first time she saw her exposing herself so much.

\- I promise, Karen.

She gulped and pointed to bedlight. Shut her eyes with her hand raised up high and focused. The lights in the room started to blink and the curtains became agitated, cause of an nonexistent wind. David held her shoulder firmly while he looked at those strange things happening and widened his eyes when he saw the bedlight levitating.

🍁

The campfire was burning brightly and its shine gave some light to the forest deep down in darkness. Sean wasn't able to see anything right under the effects of Penny's mushroom tea and the MJ he was sharing with Finn. He was laying in his lap, his head on Finn's legs. He hardly could listen to the group conversation, only staring at the fire like it was alive and like he was part of it somehow, while he also Finn's sweet fingers petting his head. It was like he was hearing the world underwater.

\- Do you believe me now? Another girl has gone missing around here! - Penny pointed to the sky in a conspiratorial tone. - Government knows what we are doing here! - Penny also seemed to be under the effect of the tea that only him and Sean drank without anyone else even noticing. They were both behind a tall tree sharing the special tea. Some inaudible laughs and a promise made by Sean to not tell Finn. Sean was only able to pay attention to some parts of the chattering. The sharp, badly humoured tone of Hannah was the most predominant in his confused senses. The fire had his attention so closely that he was already able to see faces and silhouettes in there. Wasn't afraid of the silhouettes, but almost wasn't able to hold the questions of who was inside the fire.

Something in the conversation caught his attention for a moment.

\- And we need to agree Sean is in need of a decent haircut. - He heard Finn saying and something in his relaxing wave changed. The feeling of being watched came back strong and now he felt something like thorns in his stomach. - What do you say about a haircut in the barbershop, MCNAM'HAIR-A?

\- They will expel me if they see me with a haircut of yours. - Sean was really making some effort to speak.

\- But you don't even know what I'm planning to do! - Finn exclaimed with a silly smile. Sean rolled up his eyes and retreated even further into his raincoat. It was really hot there, but he didn't want to take it off because of his uniform. Some of them - Hannah - already considered he "too straight" by following the rules, he didn't want to worsen the things.

\- Finn - Sean tried to touch his tanned face, but his hand slipped to his hot chest. - I don't need to know what you're gonna do to know you're gonna shit it. - It was audible only for both of them. The rest of the group ignored them and started talking about something else.

\- Sweetie, soon enough you'll be part of this big, fucked up, happy and dysfunctional family. Then you won't run away from a new haircut.

Sean frowned and got up suddenly. There was a serious look in his face that bothered Finn. The thorns came back violently in his stomach and he wanted to puke. Looked at Finn's face for a few moments, without saying anything, just looking. Sean heard laughs and turned his head just to see the faces in the fire more detailed and the laughs.

He got up with his eyes wet, clearly disturbed by something and started to walk towards the forest. Jacob, the only one slightly sober, got up from the log tree he was sitting on and went looking for him. Finn looked at both of them, asking himself what he said of wrong and feeling bad for it. His good mood became a giant feeling of guilt and confusion.

\- Where are you going? - Jacob asked Sean, standing near the fire. Cassidy and Hannah were taking curious looks at the situation, but they didn't say anything. Penny was still tripping too much to realize what was happening there. Sean stopped and looked back, showing his face filled with tears.

\- T-they are laughing at me!

\- Who?

\- They! - Sean pointed his shaking finger to the campfire. Jacob thought he was pointing to the group. No one was laughing, though. - They are laughing at me!

Jacob was thinking carefully about what to say, but ended up letting Sean go. Cassidy gave an accusatory look at Finn, silently asking what shit he said now.

Sean didn't even where he was anymore. The trees seemed too tall, endless. He heard voices in the woods and wasn't able to see anything clearly enough. He was afraid of stepping in holes. He laid his back on a rotten log, filled with beetlee and some of them grabbed his hand. Without feeling anything, he kept on walking. There was a pain his chest, unbearable and suffocating. Family. Family.

_ Family. _

Why?

Why did he feel so weird - hurt - when he heard this word?

\- No! - Sean nodded his head like a madman.

\- Found you! - Finn pointed the flashlight to his face and was able to put the puzzle together. - Penny owes me an explanation later. Come, honey. - Finn held his hand gently and took the beetles out of the another one. - I'll take you home. - Sean missed his playful tone, but let him be guided without complaining. A part of him was already getting his sanity back.

\- I'm sorry. - Sean felt suffocated. The trees seemed to be closing around both of them. Sean held Finn's arm tightly. Finn and Sean stumbled into twigs and bushes and it didn't take long until Sean realized they were heading for the car. - I'm sorry, so sorry.

\- You don't need to be sorry for anything, sweetie. How much of Penny's tea did you drink?

Sean hesitated.

\- All that he offered... and it was a lot.

When they both approached the car, Finn held his shoulders tightly and grabbed him closer.

\- I'm a shitty influence to you.

\- That is what you think that you means to me?

Finn kisses him before he's able to say anything else. Their hot lips together in a calm dance, that they both knew very well. The smell of MJ was making Sean excited and more desperate at the same time. Instinctively he hugs Finn and kisses deeper. Finn was the one who got away and opened the car's door.

\- I promised I would take you everyday before midnight.

  
  


🍁

Chris was climbing down the treehouse's stairs emontioless. The moments of the schoolday were still going through in his head. The classroom incident and now he noticed some pages of his comic book went missing. Luckily no one in school knew about the two boys' alter egos. The crickets were chirping in the distance and Chris took that moment of peace to go inside the house and face his drunkard dad. His backpack was still weighing on his back, especially because of the gift he received during lunchtime. Her name was Helga, it was the only thing he knew about the stranger woman who spoke to him. She gave a clay doll to him, genderless and clotheless. Chris accepted it politely and they talked for a while until Chris needed to go back to class.

The lights of the Eriksen house were the only lighting over the dark garden. Didn't seemed to be anyone in the Reynolds house, but Chris thought it was weird the curtains of Daniel's room moved subtly when he looked at them. Chris turned the garden lights on and got startled when he saw a stranger man standing in the Reynold's backyard.

\- Hello? - Chris spoke to him getting near those white picket fences. The man also seemed startled by the blonde boy's presence. - Can I help?

\- Are you talking to me?

\- Yes.

The man close enough to the light so Chris could see him better. He had dark brown hair and a beard. Was wearing a beige shirt. He was latino and looked a lot like Sean and Daniel.

\- There's no one at home. Claire is in the bingo with her friends.

\- Oh, sorry, don't think I'm a weirdo or something. It's my first time around here. - The man crossed his arms and smiled. - You must be very lonely.

\- Why? - Chris frowned and retreated into his orange coat, not appreciating the way the conversation was going.

\- You're the first one that speaks to me.

\- Then you're the lonely one! - Chris said smiling and pointing at him.

The man laughed loudly.

\- Do you know how to play baseball?

\- No. My father never taught me and my mother died when I was younger.

He frowned and got closer to the fence.

\- At least tell me your father showed The lord of the rings to you.

\- He thinks it's boring, but my friend Daniel made me watch all the three films with him on our first Halloween. - Chris looked at the grass when all the feelings of that day came back. The moments when they wouldn't need to worry about anything else because they had each other.

But the man seemed to rejoice with that information.

\- My name is Chris. - He waved to the man and smiled. - What's yours?

\- Esteban.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking so long to update. As you might notice, it's a slightly bigger chapter. As always, opinions are welcome! Please tell me what you thought of it.

**Author's Note:**

> fanfic playlist: http://bit.ly/TrickrTreatplaylist
> 
> I'm finally relieved to release this project. I was keeping it to me for so long, but finally decided to come out and release it for you all. The fanfic got delayed because: I was addicted to Among Us. I just have to thank my boyfriend.


End file.
